Town extended their home league unbeaten run to 18 matches as Stoke City battled their way to a 1-1 draw. Danny Haynes put the Blues in front on 18 with former Town loanee Ricardo Fuller netting the equaliser 14 minutes later.
Owen Garvan recovered from his flu bug to take his place in midfield with Tommy Miller returning for Gavin Williams, who was missing having injured a thigh in training. Jason De Vos took over from Fabian Wilnis in the centre of the defence, while Alan Lee came in up front for Billy Clarke and Jon Walters replaced the suspended Liam Trotter on the left of midfield.
Ricardo Fuller, who spent time with the Blues in 2006, struck the first shot of the game in the third minute but failed to seriously test Neil Alexander.
A minute later Jon Walters sent the ball across the face of the Stoke goal but beyond Alan Lee and Pablo Couñago. Soon after, Danny Haynes made a storming run down the right and keeper Steve Simonsen was forced to tip his cross-shot on to the roof of the net.
Danny Pugh volleyed well over when found unmarked at the far post when he ought to have done much better, before Alexander made a fine save down to his left to push Liam Lawrence's 25-yard strike round the post.
Town went ahead in the 18th minute. Stoke failed to clear a Blues attack and Owen Garvan picked up possession and found Alan Lee on the edge of the area. The Irishman played the ball to Danny Haynes on the right, the England U19 international beating Ryan Shawcross and lashing a shot across Simonsen and into the net off the far post for his fourth goal of the season.
The goal gave the Blues added impetus and for a while a second goal looked to be only a matter of time. Simonsen made an excellent save from Haynes from the edge of the area, then Garvan saw a strike blocked.
On 22 a mistake by John Eustace allowed Jon Walters to bring the ball into the area on the left, but his low cross-shot was cleared off the line by Carl Dickinson. From the resultant corner, Alan Lee headed the ball across the face of goal and wide.
Just before the half hour, David Wright made an important interception ahead of Liam Lawrence inside the Town area. From the corner, the ball briefly ran loose in the Town area after attempts on goal from Ryan Shawcross and Leon Cort, but Lee eventually cleared.
The visitors got back on terms in the 33rd minute, Fuller finishing clinically inside the area from Danny Pugh's pass with Town failing to make a tackle as Stoke worked their way into the box.
Lawrence shot over the bar from the right with Town claiming a foul on Jason De Vos in the build-up and that the former Sunderland man was offside. As the half came to an end, Pugh again shot over.
Town had done enough in an excellent spell after their goal to have the game sewn up but a number of decent chances were spurned. Aside from that period of the match, the Blues had found it hard to break down a strong and physical Stoke side and by the end of the half had been drawn into playing long balls over the top in the manner of the visitors.
Four minutes into the second period Tommy Miller hit a freekick from the edge into the wall, then a cross from the left was flicked on by Jon Walters to Alan Lee, but the striker's shot was too high. For Stoke, Eustace also shot over.
The Blues felt they ought to have been awarded a penalty on the hour when a freekick from the left bounced across the area and appeared to strike a Stoke hand. Referee Keith Stroud, who appeared reluctant to give Town and particularly Pablo Couñago decisions throughout, felt otherwise.
David Wright came close to a scoring the goal of the season with a 30-yard scorcher, but missed the target by a few inches, the ball flying just beyond Simonsen's left post. As the game wore on, the Potters were more and more happy to drop back in numbers whenever Town had the ball.
Jason De Vos picked up his third yellow card of the season in the 64th minute for a foul on Fuller, then the Jamaican got his name in referee Stroud's book for a shove on Alex Bruce.
Danny Haynes was close to his second goal of the match in the 71st minute when a freekick 25 yards out was played short to him and his shot was deflected narrowly over the bar.
From the Town corner, Fuller broke quickly beating Wright and Sito inside the Blues half, but Alexander reacted quickly to dive at his feet and dispossess him.
Couñago appealed for a penalty in the 74th minute when he appeared to be checked by Shawcross as he chased a long ball, then Cresswell was booked for a somewhat cynical foul on Haynes as the youngster broke away down the right. Soon after, Sylvain Legwinski took over from Tommy Miller in the centre of the midfield.
On 81 Haynes crossed from the right but a defender got in front of Lee to clear. Moments later, Lee, Couñago and the Greene King Stand were convinced the Blues should have had a penalty after the Spaniard was manhandled inside the area, but again referee Stroud wasn't interested.
Billy Clarke replaced Couñago for the final four minutes, the Spanish frontman having had his least effective home game since his return to Portman Road, although referee Stroud seemed oblivious to most of Shawcross's shirt-pulling and holding.
Legwinski was yellow-carded for the second of two fouls on Lawrence with the Frenchman convinced the Stoke man had dived on both occasions.
Danny Haynes was also booked in the 88th minute after clashing with a number of Stoke defenders after they felt he went to ground too easily under pressure. The game briefly threatened to boil over, but order was swiftly restored.
Stoke won a number of throw-ins in the injury time, all slung into the area by Rory Delap and Lawrence went closest to grabbing a winner with a shot at the far post, but only managed to find the sidenetting.
By no means Town's best performance and certainly the worst game Portman Road has hosted this season from a spectator's perspective.
Stoke were big, physical, difficult to break down and direct, precisely the type of side the Blues find most difficult to defeat. In the end a draw was probably the right result, Town not having done enough to deserve the win and Stoke's defending having been worth their share of the points.
The Blues had their dominant spell in the first half when they should have scored the goals to win the three points, but thereafter never looked clever enough to pass their way to goal, while the towering Stoke defence dealt with anything in the air. Pablo Couñago in particular will feel he ought to have been given greater protection by referee Keith Stroud.
Still, Town's home league unbeaten run continues and draws against sides in the top six can't be seen as poor results. Next, a trip to Blackpool and another attempt to grab an elusive away win.
Town: Alexander, Sito, Wright, De Vos, Bruce, Garvan, Miller (Legwinski 80), Walters, Haynes, Lee, Couñago (Clarke 86). Unused: Supple, Wilnis, Peters. Att: 20,346.